Springfield remembers a friend in win over Upper Dublin

On what was an extremely emotional day at Springfield High School, the Lady Spartans’ field hockey team was playing for a lot more than just a win.

Springfield was playing for a friend, one it lost just one day earlier.

On Wednesday, the Lady Spartans took the day off to remember the life of Cole Luxton, a sophomore baseball and football player from Springfield High School who passed away in his home. On Thursday, the Lady Spartans got back on the field and played a game which they made sure to dedicate to Luxton.

The end result was a 3-0 win for the Lady Spartans over Upper Dublin in a Suburban One American Conference meeting at Springfield High School, but once the game was over, all the girls could think about was who they were playing for.

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“Having a student pass away yesterday was very difficult for the girls,” Springfield coach Linda Nixon said. “We really didn’t do much yesterday and the girls were very upset. They are still upset and wanted to dedicate this game to Cole.”

And when Thursday’s game was over, the Lady Spartans (12-1, 10-1) huddled up in a circle and spoke of Luxton, unable to hold back their tears following a very emotional game for everyone involved.

“I thought that the girls did a really good job focusing and playing against a strong team,” Nixon said. “Today was very tough for them and they played team hockey.”

After a first half which saw the Lady Spartans control the ball from start to finish, but unable to get on the scoreboard, it took just over four minutes for Springfield to build a 2-0 lead in the second half.

Libby Field and Maria Vido beat Upper Dublin goalkeeper Dana Russell to put Springfield up 2-0. Later in the half, Field scored her second goal after making an excellent play at the top of the circle.

“Libby Field made some really nice plays in the circle for Springfield and they are obviously a very well-balanced and very talented team,” Upper Dublin coach Heather Boyer said. “Her second goal was pretty outstanding. We hung in with them in the first half and our defense really stuck with them, but they capitalized on a couple key possessions early in the second half and we didn’t carry the ball enough in our offensive circle to make anything happen.”

Nixon said she recently switched Field’s position, which has seen an increase in her level of play.

The Lady Cardinals’ inability to get into Springfield’s zone showed in the boxscore, as they were out-shot by the Lady Spartans, 13-0. Russell played well for Upper Dublin (4-10, 4-8), stopping 10 shots while facing pressure throughout the contest.

Springfield goalkeeper Kim Machalette held her own in net for the Lady Spartans to earn the win.

With only one loss on the season, the Lady Spartans are frontrunners in the conference right now, but after Thursday’s win, their 12-1 overall record was the last thing on their minds.

“The girls didn’t want to just dedicate this game to Cole, but the rest of the season,” Nixon said.